Depew Jr, John Hubert
John Hubert Depew Jr., A2C, USAF (Fallen)
February 05, 1921 – 24 July 1958
SH-21
Thule AB, Greenland
25 July 1958
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY.),
Sun, Jul 27, 1958, page 61
Five Killed In Crash Of ‘Copter’
Westover Air Force Base, Mass. (AP) — An Air Force helicopter carrying five men crashed Thursday on the Greenland ice cap. A twin engine amphibian that flew over the scene reported no sign of life.
Despite this report Saturday night, and 8th Air Force information officer at Westover said the Air Force would carry the men as missing “until we get a ground party there.”
The copter, out of Thule Air Force Base, crashed 175 miles east of Thule Thursday afternoon.
The information officer said he talked by radio early Saturday evening with Col. Bryson Bailey, wing commander at Thule, and at that time Bailey had not heard from a search party that left Thule aboard tracked vehicles Friday morning.
The helicopter was reported missing Friday morning on a routine air recovery mission 175 miles east of Thule. The craft is part of the 55th Air Rescue Squadron. It left Thule, on the northwest coast of Greenland, and disappeared in clouds over the Greenland ice cap after it had been in radio contact with a plane.
1958 – July 25; An SH-21 crew from the 55th ARS attempted to pick up 13 survivors of a C-54 accident at Polar Research Site #2, Greenland. The first SH-21 experienced engine failure at the research site, and a second SH-21 was dispatched. The second SH-21, crewed by 1st Lt. Harry J. Dewald (P), 2nd Lt. Eugene Sullivan (CP), SSgt. John B. Mustain (FM), A3C John H. Depew (FM) crashed near the site, killing the crew and U.S. Army 2nd Lt. James A. Alger III. Eventually, the pilot of the downed C-54 was evacuated by an Army L-20, and twelve survivors and five deceased were removed by a weasel train to Thule AB, Greenland.
The Troy Record (Troy, NY.), Mon, Jul 28, 1958, page 1 & http://www.afsoc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070906-042.pdf
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